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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26924818">i've been waiting for so long, are you ever coming back home?</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/atannatek/pseuds/atannatek'>atannatek</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Day6 (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Ambiguous/Open Ending, Angst, Angst and Feels, Character Death, Established Relationship, I cried while writing this, M/M, Musicians, Time Loop</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 02:15:12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,540</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26924818</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/atannatek/pseuds/atannatek</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>wonpil calls jae everyday while he's on the train on his way home. what wonpil doesn't know though, is that he's stuck in a time loop repeating the same day he dies.</p><p>and jae is just trying to save him.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kim Wonpil/Park Jaehyung | Jae</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>41</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>i've been waiting for so long, are you ever coming back home?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>warning: mentions of death. nothing graphic.</p><p> </p><p>this was originally a threadfic on twitter written almost at midnight, so you can also find it in my twt acc along with other of my day6 (threadfics, drabbles and sns) aus: <a href="https://twitter.com/dowoonbubbles">@dowoonbubbles</a></p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>          It's Tuesday.</p><p>          Wonpil hates Tuesdays.</p><p>          "I swear, hyung, one day I'm gonna go to my boss' office and tell him that he's such a jerk!" Wonpil huffs on the phone. Tuesdays are the days where he has meetings at his job, Jae knows; Tuesdays also used to be the days of meetings when he worked at that studio with him—and Wonpil hates those meetings, that’s why he hates Tuesdays, "And I won't care about getting fired!"</p><p>          Even if he can't see him right now, Jae's sure people in the train are staring at Wonpil. The same used to happen when Jae was with him on those rides home, before he got a better job offer at another studio and started working with real music rather than with paperwork, like Wonpil and he did for years.</p><p>          Like Wonpil still does.</p><p>          Wonpil hates his job.</p><p>          "You do care about getting fired" Jae mumbles. Wonpil's whine comes almost immediately. "We won't be able to pay rent just with my salary. Some people still refer to me as the intern, remember?"</p><p>          "Let's move out to a smaller apartment then!"</p><p>          Jae sighs, "I don't think there's something smaller compared to ours."</p><p>          "Fine" Wonpil scoffs, and Jae can perfectly picture him crossing his arms over his chest. "I won't tell Mr. Kang that he's a jerk because I love my job and because I love our already super small apartment. Happy?"</p><p>          Jae nods even if Wonpil can’t see him. He knows Wonpil is lying. He hates his job.</p><p>          He already told that to Jae before, in another conversation that day, but he doesn't remember it because that hasn't happened yet.</p><p>          Jae moves the phone from his ear to see the time. 7:40. It's getting close.</p><p>          "And well, I love you too, I guess" Wonpil adds. He must be smiling. He always does so when he tells that to Jae.</p><p>          Jae hopes he's smiling.</p><p>          "I love you too" he says, and Wonpil giggles and Jae finds himself unable to react at that.</p><p>          "No, you don't!" Wonpil is whining again. "You almost made me lose the train with your false emergency call at the office!"</p><p>          Jae gulps. It’s already 7:45.</p><p>          "It was Dowoon who called, not me" Jae reminds him. Even if it’s probably not the best idea, he puts the speaker on so he can continue seeing the hour change with the phone placed in front of him over the bed.</p><p>          "He said it was you who told him to call" Wonpil complains. "I got really worried, hyung! I almost went to that hospital to see you but Dowoon confessed that he was lying because of you. That was a terrible joke!"</p><p>          Jae closes his eyes, laying down with his head next to the phone. He has to admit that hasn't been a particularly clever plan, but after many attempts, he couldn't come up with anything else. He was running out of ideas.</p><p>          "You're lucky he confessed everything" Wonpil continues, "Otherwise I wouldn't be able to get home on time to have dinner with you.”</p><p>          But no matter what Jae does—no matter how <em>hard</em> he tries, Wonpil always ends up on that same train.</p><p>          "Yeah, I'm really lucky" Jae mutters. He tries not to cry yet. He tries not to think on Wonpil. He tries not to think at all, "I'm sorry for that."</p><p>          And Wonpil always ends up dying.</p><p>          Jae tried to stop him personally before; making him take a free day from job and staying with him at their apartment all day, only to find out that Wonpil would sneak at night and get into a train because he wanted to so somewhere that Jae still can't figure it out where it is.</p><p>          And he died then. Jae saw the news. Got a call. Cried—just like the first time. Just like <em>all</em> those times.</p><p>          And that happens again and <em>again</em> and <em>again</em> and <em>again</em>—the cycle never breaks. Jae makes up a thousand excuses to keep Wonpil with him; he picks him up from his job, he asks one of his work partners to drive him home, he comes up with the silliest excuses for Wonpil to stay longer at his job and miss the train.</p><p>          But nothing never works—Wonpil goes to the train anyways. And he doesn't tell Jae why so he can’t stop it. The one time he tried to ask it directly, Wonpil got all nervous and hung up the phone and everything was worse because he didn’t pick up Jae’s calls and he died without them having the chance to solve whatever that had been.</p><p>          Jae doesn't know what to do. He doesn't even know why that's happening to them—to him. Why is he cursed to live Wonpil’s dead all those times? </p><p>          He’s tired.</p><p>          "I can't forgive you, hyung" Wonpil says after some seconds of silence that feel too noisy in Jae's head. "I lost an important appointment today for Mr. Kang and his reports and then you did that!" another whine. "I hate Tuesdays. And I hate this Tuesday the most."</p><p>          "Me too" admits Jae.</p><p>          He's also tried it before—explain everything to Wonpil. He believed him once, but he couldn't get out of the train on time as it took Jae a lot more time than what he had expected to convince him. Jae heard his screams on the line before the call ended; he heard him calling his name.</p><p>          Wonpil never believed him again.</p><p>          Jae closes his eyes.</p><p>          Wonpil is probably wrinkling his nose right now because of Jae’s answer and his general attitude since he picked up the phone and they started their daily phone call during Wonpil’s way home. Wonpil’s does that with his nose when he's confused. Jae has been telling him that he looks like a bunny since they meet, "Did something happen at your job today, hyung?" There's concern in his voice.</p><p>          Jae opens his eyes, glances to the phone next to him.</p><p>          7:51.</p><p>          Jae is already crying.</p><p>          "Hyung?" Wonpil asks again, "Are you crying?"</p><p>          Jae can't lie to him. Not after all those times. He's tired of losing him. He’s tired of remembering everything. He’s tired of Wonpil forgetting and smiling at him every morning as he leaves for job like if that day would be normal.</p><p>          "I am" says Jae. His voice breaks; he is breaking, "I just miss you so much, Wonpil-ah. When are you coming back home?"</p><p>          Wonpil chuckles. It’s a short sound, "Jae hyung! Don't be upset!" He clearly doesn't believe Jae's words, but he does his best to make Jae smile despite everything. He always does. And Jae always smiles because of him, but it doesn’t happen this time. "I will be back before nine, you know that."</p><p>          He won't. He will never be. He is going to die.</p><p>          "What was your appointment about?" Jae decides to question instead of answering. Wonpil remains quiet and for a moment Jae thinks something is wrong with the phone reception like it happened once, "The one you lost today."</p><p>          Wonpil sighs. He's probably smiling after that. Jae doesn't know.</p><p>          "A work appointment" Wonpil replies.</p><p>          "Mr. Kang wouldn't make you lose a works appointment for some reports."</p><p>          "It wasn't <em>that</em> important for him" Wonpil's probably wrinkling his nose right now. Jae doesn't know—he would never do, "Mr. Kang is a jerk" he also adds.</p><p>          "Wonpil..." Jae begins. He wants to know; he needs to know it. If he discovers where Wonpil wants so desperately to go, he can probably stop him. He can probably save him. Jae doesn't know.</p><p>          "That's enough of me" Wonpil cuts him down. "I'm always the one talking during our calls, hyung. Now it's your turn!"</p><p>          Jae sighs. He doesn't smile after that.</p><p>          7:59.</p><p>          "I didn't go to work today" he says, already knowing that he won't get anything from Wonpil that time. And he feels guilty for not trying again, but he's so tired and he hasn’t stopped crying.</p><p>          Wonpil is definitely wrinkling his nose at that, "Why? you never miss a day of work. Not even when you're sick."</p><p>          He doesn't. Jae loves his new job at the studio; it’s way better than the simply administration tasks he did with Wonpil at the other one where Wonpil is still working at, only watching the producers and the artists getting in and out of the sound cabins while they were stuck in two desks as if they didn’t have two music major diplomas hanged in one wall in their apartment.</p><p>          That’s why Jae absolutely loves his new job—he’s too old to be carrying coffee for some of the producers and he keeps being called an intern, but he isn’t one anymore; he gets his own time in the studio too and he has even had some of his lyrics accepted before for a soon to debut group from one small company that the studio has a deal with.</p><p>          Jae loves his new job. And he just discovered that Wonpil hates his. Wonpil also hates Tuesdays. And he dies on a Tuesday while coming home from his work.</p><p>          "I'm just tired" Jae says out loud. His eyes are closed again. He's tired, he wants it to stop. He wants to see Wonpil coming home. “It hasn’t been a good day.”</p><p>          "Oh, I'm sorry if I bothered you with all my talk about Mr. Kang" Wonpil sounds embarrassed. "I didn't know you were feeling like that."</p><p>          "It's okay" Jae reassures him. "I like that you call me on the train. It makes me feel like I'm with you there, and I always feel happy when i'm with you."</p><p>          Silence. Jae sits on the bed. 8:05. It's still not the time. Why is Wonpil not answering them?</p><p>          "Hyung" a smile voice comes, "You know that I love you, right?"</p><p>          Jae sighs, “I do” It was nothing. Wonpil is still there, "I love you too, Wonpil-ah."</p><p>          "But I love you like loads" Wonpil insists in a high pitch voice—the one he usually uses to annoy Jae, though he never really does. Jae can imagine the people in the train looking at him, "Like a lot a lot."</p><p>          Jae keeps crying. "Yeah, I know."</p><p>          "Hyung?" Wonpil repeats a second time; his voice is shyer this time. Jae wonders if he finally got embarrassed for his noisy attitude or his softer tone is just due the fact that Jae is still crying, "I promise I’m gonna have a new topic of conversation for our next call tomorrow" he says. "Or well, next week."</p><p>          Jae doesn't get it, "What happens next week?"</p><p>          "It's a secret!" Wonpil is giggling loudly again—he wasn’t embarrassed at all, Jae decides, "But you got to promise this: if I continue talking about Mr. Kang next week, dinner is on me!"</p><p>          "I don't mind you talking about your boss" Jae tells him. He does his best for his voice to be as soft as Wonpil’s, "I... I like hearing you talk about how you feel. And you're right, Mr. Kang is a jerk, and also his son. I hated when he worked with us in that project. He only bossed us around and didn’t listen to our ideas.”</p><p>          There's another laugh. 8:09.</p><p>          "Younghyun-ssi isn’t that bad” says Wonpil. “He was just overwhelmed because he wanted to impress his dad, remember? He even invited us to have a coffee after the project presentation.”</p><p>          “He took us to a fancy coffee shop” Jae remembers. “And he paid for everything.”</p><p>          “See? He isn’t that bad. Mr. Kang is clearly the jerk of the family" Wonpil pauses, "Are you going to promise it or not, hyung?"</p><p>          Jae says yes. Wonpil is probably smiling at that. Jae doesn't know. He would never do.</p><p>          "So you aren't gonna tell me about that?" he asks.</p><p>          "Sorry, hyung" Wonpil hums, "but I don't want to jinx anything. I think I'm already saying too much."</p><p>          8:10. Jae lays down on the bed again. He's tired. He should have asked Wonpil to stay with him that day. He could have hugged him.</p><p>          Some minutes pass. Wonpil is talking about that project presentation he had a month ago with the new employee that covered Jae’s position. Wonpil’s proud of it, but Jae knows he hates it. He confessed he hated his job so much when Jae went to the studio once to try to convince him to leave with him and they both made a scandal outside the building.</p><p>          Wonpil shouted at him that he couldn’t leave because he hated his job with all his guts—that he always had and how Jae couldn’t understand it anymore.</p><p>          Before Jae knows it's already 8:22.</p><p>          "I love you" he blurts out even if Wonpil is still in the middle of another story from the studio.</p><p>          Wonpil giggles, surprised by his recation. Jae is crying. "I love you too, hyung. And once I get home, we're gonna cuddle and you're gonna feel better!"</p><p>          Wonpil is never coming home, does that mean Jae is never feeling better?</p><p>          "I should probably hang up" Wonpil mumbles. "My stop is coming next and... Hyung? hyung? Are you still there?"</p><p>          Jae can't speak.</p><p>          "I love you" he says before ending the call. "I'm sorry. I love you. Please come home."</p><p>          Jae closes his eyes. He counts the seconds in his head and when he's almost sure it's time, he checks his phone. 8:32.</p><p>          He has a text from Wonpil.</p><p>          The time changes before he can open it. 8:33.</p><p>          Wonpil dies at 8:33.</p><p>          It takes him some minutes to gather the enough strength to read the text. He's crying. He's tired. He wants Wonpil to be home. He wants everything to stop. He wants Wonpil.</p><p>          Jae never got a last text from Wonpil before.</p><p>          It's something simple: <em>Hyung, I'm almost home! I promise I'll be there for you soon! Just hold on a little more! Love you loads!</em></p><p>          And Wonpil doesn't know anything about what's happening— he doesn't know how the day will repeat the next morning. He doesn't know that Jae is tired of trying to save him; of knowing he dies; of being unable to save the man he loves.</p><p>          But he told him that anyways: he's coming home. Jae just have to hold on a little more. Wonpil will be with him soon—<em>one day</em>.</p><p>          Jae needs to save him. He is going to do it.</p><p>          When Jae wakes up, Wonpil is next to him in the bed like all those mornings. He's sleeping, wrapped in the blankets and with his head resting over Jae’s chest. And Jae knows he'll wake up soon, and that he'll leave wearing the same blue shirt, and that the day will repeat itself over and over like it has already happened a dozen of times— so Jae needs to think on something new to get him off that train on time. He isn't giving up. Not now. Not ever.</p><p>          But for now, as it's still early in the morning and there isn't enough light yet in the room for Jae's tears to be noticed, Jae allows himself to hug Wonpil tightly.</p><p>          He closes his eyes.</p><p>          For now, Wonpil is home.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>some aclarations for this:</p><p>-jae and wonpil met at the studio where wonpil is still working at. quick summary of their story: a lot of bad flirting happened, one asked the other out and after some time dating, they started living together.<br/>-okay so this is why wonpil would always end up in that train: as it's told in the story, wonpil and jae used to work together at a studio but in the administration part of it. wonpil disliked his job as he couldn't actually work in music, but once he met jae everything was fine as he wasn't the only one with a music major struggling to get into the music world, but now jae is living his dream and wonpil... he's stuck.<br/>-so wonpil decides to do something about it because he wants things to change for him too. he applies for a job interview at jae's studio because a) he misses working with jae and those days with him at the studio are the best ones he remembers from all his time working, and b) because that studio hired jae with no experience, so wonpil thought he had a chance. he doesn't mention anything to jae, though, because he wants to surprise him/not for jae to somehow interfer in him being hired/not for jae to be sad in case nothing go as planned<br/>-he gets the interview. on a tuesday. the tuesday he dies. but mr. kang doesn't give him permission to go out of the studio and we get scenario 1: wonpil dying in his way home as he had to rearrange the interview date to the next week because of mr. kang<br/>-and then, with jae interferring in all the evens, we get other scenarios: wonpil missing the interview, but taking the train anyways as when he either skips work/jae does something that causes other effects on other stuff (think on it as the butterfly effect), he is given the chance to have the interview that same day, but later because the hr guy from the guy calls him (which is sungjin!!)<br/>-so that means that wonpil will always end in the same train: if jae tries to do something, he'll take the train with the intention of going to the studio; if jae doesn't get for wonpil to leave his job, he'll take the train with the intention of going home. it's the same train, by the way<br/>-will the time loop ever break? yes. when the person that causes it decides to stop it. and that's jae, who can't accept that wonpil dies<br/>-will jae ever understand it? no. he won't wake up one day and realize "this is happening because of me!! destiny is giving me a chance to cope with my loss and now it's time to let wonpil go!", it'd be more as an accident and jae understanding that he isn't the only one suffered, as it's remarked over and over in the story (jae only thinks "i'm tired, why am i suffering? i want wonpil to come home"). so, once jae gets that he wants the loop to stop because he wants wonpil to finally rest and stop dying and getting hurt, that's the "i am ready to let you go because i love you, but i don't want you to suffer anymore even if that means i'm gonna suffer". and one day, jae convinces wonpil to stay with him again, and he tells him he loves him so much, and they stay in bed cuddling, and they kiss. and jae doesn't try stopping wonpil going to the train later because he somehow knows that must happen. and wonpil dies. and the next morning, jae wakes up and wonpil isn't there next to him, and he has tons of missing calls from dowoon because a train accident was reported and wonpil is mentioned in the list of the people that passed away because of it. and jae cries because wonpil won't ever be home, but he knows that at least he can rest now.<br/>-finally, the fact that wonpil is the one stuck in the loop and technically not jae as jae can remember everything while wonpil is just being clueless about the situation is a reference on how wonpil is stuck living his life without his dreams while jae already achieved his. hence, jae isn't the one stuck, he's being the one who makes wonpil feel stuck, being the cause of the loop.</p><p> </p><p>i hope that solves any question. in case you have another one, don't doubt to ask!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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